Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Re-Written)
by gymjunky71
Summary: Rey and Ben Solo are separated by tragedy. 10 years later and galaxies apart, the Force whispers to reunite them to stop the First Order. Rey is thrust into an adventure that leads her to a changed Ben Solo ... the dangerous Kylo Ren. The closer they're drawn together, the stronger their Force Bond grows. But, can Rey bring Ben Solo back from Kylo Ren? Rated M to be safe.
1. FanFic Author's Note

**READ THIS FIRST**

 **Let me be clear:** This fic was written out of love for the rebooted Star Wars franchise.

I'd never say that these films were made thoughtlessly nor effortlessly. The screenwriters have their story to tell and I'll continue to buy tickets to the latest Star Wars film to witness it. This is a little project I've taken on because they've inspired me. That's the whole point of fanfiction, right?

This new series takes on a lot of topics in the films that I want to rearrange and embellish. A few that stand out to me are as follows:

Redemption for the antihero (Ben Solo/Kylo Ren).

Hero's journey from simple to great (Rey).

Family separation (Rey, Finn, & Ben from their families).

Business of war (selling weapons to either side for financial gain and no care about the winner).

Rey and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren's romance.

Jedi Wisdom circle of life, mother nature, etc. Bohemian/earthy aesthetics vs. technology.

Interracial love (Finn & Rose).

Animal abuse in entertainment.

 **Mass Murder:** Luke's jedi school massacre. We know that Snoke, Kylo Ren, & 7 other students escaped but the rest of the school was burned to the ground. In my country, unfortunately and sickeningly, mass murders are becoming commonplace. I think this plot point should have been explored more than with just a simple screenshot.

 **Free Will:** Jedi mind-tricks will be explored a lot more in my fiction.

 **Redemption:** The one plot point that I still feel was a mistake was having Kylo Ren assassinate Han Solo, his father. If this must happen, I will be writing it in a way that I feel is more redeemable and sympathetic.

A great story makes you think and in this era of fanfiction becoming more accepted in society, it permits personal imagination of a world and characters. I'd appreciate any constructive criticism.

I hope you enjoy this re-write of _Star Wars: the Force Awakens_.


	2. The Partition

**Star Wars: The Force Awakens**

 **RE-WRITTEN**

 **CHAPTER ONE**

 **BEN SOLO**

Dusk was setting when Rey was transferred to the Skywalker Academy from the police station. She struggled to keep pace with the officer dragging her along in his wake, gripping her tiny hand like a vice. One stride of his felt like ten for her. This tall man was sapped of color but for his copper hair and cold blue eyes. Rey's freckly face was still flushed and shiny from crying all night, her hazel eyes almost bloodshot and her brown hair disheveled.

She avoided the curious gazes of the jedi students she was rushed passed down the corridor, at the end of which was a tall ornate archway. Crossing the threshold, Rey fell silent admiring the beauty of the domed ceiling with an oculus. The intricate painting of the Galactic Civil War victory intrigued her, almost forgetting where she was and why. She was jolted back to her reality with the officer's voice.

"Master Skywalker," said the officer. "This Padawan's parents were about to gamble her away … for drinking money."

She may be young, but she knew a lie from the truth.

"Liar." Rey accused for the umpteenth time.

Her eyes fell on the man who the officer was speaking to. He was seated crisscrossed … floating off the plain bamboo rug below the oculus. He had greying ashy blond hair and a tan complexion. When he opened his eyes, she found that they were crystal blue. Tears still dripping down her face, Rey was nudged towards him by the officer.

Master Skywalker surveyed her, "Another child confiscated by the First Order. I'm sensing a pattern here, Hux." He sank down to the rug beneath him, "We're running out of dormitories."

Rey implored Skywalker for help with just her eyes.

"' _Confiscated_ '? We _saved_ her. Who knows where she would have ended up had we not intervened!" Hux added, "She's only nine years old."

"Whatever adjective suits you, Hux, she's got no place else to stay." Skywalker now spoke directly to Rey, "I see that you've had a very trying ordeal, young one. You may stay here till I've resolved your case." He approached her warmly and guided her to the adjacent courtyard. "You're safe here. May the Force be with you, poor thing." He nudged Rey towards the other students. When Rey was out of earshot, Skywalker ordered Hux, "Do me a favor, Hux: hold off on splitting more children from their families during my stay at the capital. Can you manage that for till tomorrow?"

"Your ship is ready to leave whenever you are." Hux replied.

Rey glanced back at Skywalker retreating into the shadows with Hux. The roofs were highlighted gold by the setting sun. The sun was casting the entire campus in shadow. A stable for Banthas, the domed dormitories, the domed office, more courtyards, and more animals than Rey could identify. She had never breathed air so clean, so fresh. The scent of the earth, plants, flowers, beasts, and food all wafted together in a fragrance she'd never been exposed to before.

But all Rey wanted was to go home. All plans of escape would be futile. She did not know how to get back to her home city from here. As this realization dawned on her, she had no other choice than to trust that Luke Skywalker would return her to her parents soon. Frustrated at her helplessness, Rey struck out blindly and realized she had wandered to the tree at the center of the courtyard. She glared at its beauty and stared hitting the trunk to release her rage.

As she went to strike the trunk again, another's hand gripped her wrist. Rey shot a glare in his direction but found she had to crane her neck to see his face. He towered over her, skinny and lanky, wearing a long-sleeved grass beige tunic and darker trousers. His thick and wavy hair, black as ravens, draped his thin face. His chocolate eyes and mauve lips warmed his porcelein skin.

"What has this tree done to offend you?" He asked her, almost baritone with a hint of nasal.

Rey was too breathless to answer but she tugged her wrist free and turned away from him.

He chuckled, "What are, five? It must be passed your naptime."

"I'm almost twice that, thank you very much!" She corrected him venomously.

"You should show more respect." He warned her.

Rey scoffed, "Why? Who do you think you are?"

He paused as though mulling over the question, "I'm Ben Solo. Leader of the Knights of Ren." He unsheathed his lightsaber. "You are in the company of the most spiritual creatures in the galaxy." His tone plainly said he did not agree with that. "They have the greatest respect for the Force, these pacifistic nomads."

Rey had never seen a light saber in person before. Her curiosity was peaked enough for her to approach close enough to examine it. She realized that Ben's light saber was unlike any of the ones she'd seen in illustrations. His had three blade emitters instead of only one for the shaft, which she had been expecting. She admired the craftsmanship.

"I made it myself." Ben said.

Rey reached out to grab it then stopped herself to ask, "May I hold it?"

"If you show me your identification," Ben replied.

Rey shook her head, "But I don't have any."

"Just show me your forearm." He clarified.

Confused, Rey warily rolled back her sleeve to reveal her bare skin.

Ben frowned at it, "Blank. When did you get here?"

Rey dropped her arm, "Not long ago. Today." She gulped hard,

"Those officers thought my parents were pawning me off, but they were not!" Rey answered.

For the first time in hours, someone was listening to her story and believing it.

"So, they brought you here. Odd." Ben agreed. "Why not just take you to Child Services?" He then shrugged, "You must be on the list."

Rey frowned, "What list?"

"The list of potential students for Luke Skywalker." Ben explained. "People who need financial aid and scholarships. People who can't afford the tuition. It costs money to support all the students here. People don't donate supplies anymore. It's been twenty years of peace but they think another war is coming. They're holding back funds just in case."

Rey pushed on with her story, "We were selling our last heirloom. Rent is overdue, you see. Mum and dad didn't get scheduled enough hours of pay these last few months."

"Sounds like they were good parents."

"They _are_!" Rey corrected him.

"Then you'll see them again." He agreed. "Being close with family is a bit of a foreign concept to me. But a good family should never be torn apart."

Ben clicked a lock to make it safe for her to examine and handed it to her.

"Do you want to become a jedi?" he asked.

She nodded, "I would have come to a school like this. But it was too expensive."

Ben explained that, until Rey's case is resolved, it wouldn't do any harm to learn from the school during her stay there.

"He'll be one of your teachers." Ben pointed out Snoke. "He's been like a father to me. My parents are … too irregular of visitors to claim the title."

Rey shook her head at Snoke, "He's a very bad man."

Ben glanced between her and his Jedi Master, "Why do you say that?"  
"He didn't stop the officers from taking me away from my mum and dad." She accused, "I saw him at the pawn shop."

He shrugged, "Misunderstanding must go both ways, huh? He'd never stand idly by while injustice is served. Master Snoke witnessed this misunderstanding. He'll be able to help reunite you with your family. I'm sure Master Skywalker and Snoke are investigating your case as we speak."

Rey thought she liked Ben. He did not patronize her like the other adults here. He listened to her story and reassured her.

But Rey kept her arms crossed over her belly, "Why do I still feel so angry?"

"Let it out. That's what my dad would say." He set his jaw for a moment. "I didn't follow that advice when I was your age. Trust me, that anger will eat you up."

Rey glanced at the tree, "Sorry, tree."

Ben chuckled, "Have you ever been hypnotized?" She shook her head and he continued, "It's a sort of party trick that all padawans wish to learn first. Kind of like learning a foreign language and all you want to learn first is the swear words." Rey smirked back at his smile, "Jedis can read the minds of others and calm their fears." He concluded, "I can ease your pain."

Rey gulped before asking, "I won't forget them forever, will I? My family?"

"I expect nothing can erase parents from the minds of children. You never stop needing them, even after you've grown." Ben went quiet for a moment then shook his head. With Rey's consent, he circled his fingers slowly before her eyes, "You will reunite with your family soon. You are safe here. You are confident in my words."

Rey was overtaken by his persuasion and found herself believing his spell, all her separation anxiety and fears melted away. When he lowered his hand, Rey could fully appreciate the beauty of the Jedi school. So thorough was his power that she forgot why she had been crying at all. She looked upon every staff member, including Master Snoke, with awe and trust.

"Feel better now, huh?" He asked, watching her frightful demeanor melt.

Rey beamed at him, "How did you do that?"

"You just need to believe what you're telling the person." Ben shrugged.

"Can you teach me?" She asked.

Ben indicated the setting sun, "It's getting late and I have a curfew." He rose to his feet and extended his hand down to her, "Come on, I'll take you to a house nurse. She'll get you set for the night."

The house nurse was a follower of the Force, living under vows of charity, but not blessed with powers herself. She was agitated that so many children were being added to the curriculum so quickly. She complained that there were barely enough supplies to go around already. But she fed Rey a warm helping of vegetable soup with grains and a mug of juice for supper. Bathed, teeth brushed, and dressed in a woolen nightgown, Rey was escorted to the chamber that had been a supply room but was converted to accommodate the extra students.

Rey came face to face with roughly a dozen children of various intelligent species. She clutched her bedroll to her chest, too shy to introduce herself. No matter, as the children were fast asleep. She saw what Ben had been talking about with 'identification' – most of the children had their names and a number beneath written on their forearms.

"Are they _all_ jedis?" Rey asked the house nurse.

"Maybe one day." The house nurse nodded, "They're in the best place to get the chance to become a Jedi. Goodnight, little Padawan."

Stepping carefully over their snoring forms, Rey found a spot directly below the windowsill and opened her bedroll. Bathed in the moonlight, she counted the pedals of the potted flowers on that windowsill till her eyes grew too heavy.

!*!

Rey wiped the sweat from her brow drowsily. Faintly, she heard wood creaking and distant rumbles. She rolled over inside her bedroll, pulling her blanket over her head to dull the noise. Rey squinted up at the flowerpots, which appeared to be trembling and glowing. She raised her head from the trembling floor and jolted when one flowerpot was shaken right off the windowsill and smashed right where her head had been.

Fully awake, Rey could hear screams and shouts throughout the building over the shriek of lasers. The other students she was sharing the supply chamber with were stampeding out into the corridor and Rey had no other thought but to follow them. The corridors were filling with smoke; Rey could hardly catch enough breath to scream with everyone else. Rey did not know how to reach outside to the safety of nature. This manmade building may entomb her if she does not get fresh air soon. A student, an alien to her, was more sensitive to the lack of oxygen and dropped unconscious. Without thinking, Rey stooped to drag the alien along with her.

He blinked open his eyes for one moment, "I want my mom!"

Rey grunted as she continued to drag him but then she was suddenly knocked to the ground by a loud blast. She recovered quickly and resumed dragging the alien student but was caught off-guard by how light he had suddenly become. She glanced back and saw that he had been severed in half by the blast. Shaking as badly as the building itself, Rey dropped his wrist and staggered backward with fright. There was so much blood.

Rey heard a crunch ahead and peered into the smoke at the tall outline of an adult approaching her.

"Over here!" Rey choked out a cry, "Please, help me!"

Through the smoke emerged a storm trooper, a living embodiment of the enemy soldier from the mural in Master Luke's office. Rey could see her reflection in those dark dust-smeared lenses of that white blood-smeared helmet. The storm trooper aimed his laser carbine at Rey's heart.

Rey held her hands protectively before her, "Please! _Please_ , don't shoot me!"

The stormtrooper released the safety but, before she could beg for her life again, the ceiling crumbled atop her would-be assassin and the body of the alien she had been trying to save. With the collapse of the ceiling came a slope of bricks to freedom above the building. Rey clambered up out the hole to the domed roof and slid down the burning building. She ducked into the tall grass surrounding the campus being swarmed by storm troopers. Running doubled-over, Rey wanted to put as much distance between her and the burning building.

But her lungs were painful from the smoke and heat. She collapsed merely a dozen meters from the wreckage just when a ship roared overhead and dropped a bomb atop the main building. Rey clapped her hands over her ears and curled her legs to her chest. Trembling more than ever, Rey lifted her head to see that the beautiful Jedi school had been reduced to a stone mound of fire and dust. She covered her mouth as tears streaked through the debris coating her pale skin.

She watched the ship circle the school, blocking out the moon and stars as it circled like a predator, then land in what had been the courtyard. She gasped when she saw some of the largest shards of rock rise and a man emerged from the wreckage. Outlined by the glow of the fire, she thought she recognized the man. His dark eyes darted around the wreckage and his raven hair whipped around in the billowing smoke. He let out a roar of despair and Rey recognized his voice.

It was Ben. He had survived the attack. She numbly began to hurry toward him. Ben must have heard her charging through the grass because he whipped around to see her. The door dropped open from the ship and he held a hand up towards Rey, signaling her to halt.

Confused, Rey obeyed. He turned his back on her to meet the hooded man emerging from the ship with Hux, an assistant, and an entourage of people dressed in red from head to toe. Rey hid herself in the tall grass once more.

"When the Dark rises, so does the Light to meet it." Snoke dropped his hood. "A revolution has begun with these sacrifices, my apprentice."

"Tell me you didn't do this!" Ben begged. " _Children_ , Master. They were only children.

"The Jedi were growing too numerous. Too close to Skywalker." Snoke reached up to grip Ben's shoulder. "They'd have risen against us. Children grow into adults and adults can become soldiers. Even with you on our side, that's not a risk I was willing to take." Snoke confirmed. "For the good of the First Order, for the future of the galaxy … their sacrifice will not go unappreciated."

Rey could tell that Ben was crying before the Jedi Master, which disgusted Snoke.

"Cover your tears. No one must recognize you leaving the scene." He spat.

But Ben did not seem to be listening to Snoke. He gasped when he heard a rumble beneath the heap of debris. He dropped to his knees and pressed his ear to the mound.

"I hear someone. Someone's still alive down there!" He scrambled to his feet. "Help me!"

He opened his arms wide and, to Rey's astonishment, the stone shards began to rise again.

"Ben, watch out!" She screamed when she saw Snoke sharply raise his hand towards Ben.

She couldn't hear what Snoke said next, all she heard was Ben cry out in pain. His head arched backwards and he shook as though he were being electrocuted but she did not see any lightning. The rocks hovered for a moment then dropped as soon as Ben went still, and the faint screams for help below died away instantly. Ben stood straight, immovable as a marble statue. The anguish melted from Ben's face till he was totally blank of a single drop of expression.

Rey couldn't understand what had happened to Ben, but he had been hypnotized by Snoke using the Dark Side of the Force. Hux reached the pair atop the massacred heap.

Without looking at Hux, Snoke ordered, "Make sure there's a body count. I want everyone to believe that Ben Solo perished in the school massacre."

The assistant scoffed, "Based on _what_? The school was overbooked with students. There's no updated list –"

Snoke balled his free hand into a fist and that subordinate choked till he dropped dead, rolling down the stone wreckage. Everyone else was intimidated into silence. Ben was still standing a still as stone. Rey remained crouched in the long grass, uncertain about what to do. She was only nine years old, certainly no match for any of these people. Ben fell under Snoke's spell with a single gesture. She pressed herself to the ground.

"And the turn-over rate ascends." Snoke sneered at the dead employee. "Count the bodies," he ordered Ben. "For your subordination."

Robotically Ben resumed lifting the rocks telekinetically, devoid of the desperation from before. Rey thought his state of being must be like how Ben hypnotized her fear away yesterday, but this was a far deeper and more violating trick. Ben was possessed by Snoke, as helpless as Rey felt. He finished the body count of the children, human and alien, buried beneath those stones. Ben scanned the surrounding lawn where Rey lay hidden.

Rey was less than a novice with the Force, less than a Padawan. But he extended her arm forward, raising it off the ground just enough to wave it in a circular motion, aiming her hand at Ben. She desperately tried to imitate what he had done with his hand to hypnotize her, to unlock Snoke's control. It was all in vain. Ben was about to follow Snoke to the black ship when he sensed a survivor among the wreckage.

He turned back around and their eyes locked onto each other, Ben and Rey's. His dark eyes were cold, emotionless, and unrecognizable. Rey froze, unable to retreat. Snoke halted in his march to the ship.

"A survivor." The Supreme Leader scathed. "They're like roaches." He ordered Ben, "Stamp her out –"

His voice was muted behind the sudden roar of ship guns firing. Snoke's body guards unsheathed their lightsabers and storm troopers aimed their laser guns at another ship closing in on them. Snoke roared in agony as a shard of stone cracked into the left side of his jaw, leaving it dangling by one hinge.

"Luke Skywalker – he returns!"

Snoke glared at Ben for a long moment, unable to speak … _aloud_. Ben nodded and ran down the slope of the crumbled building to Rey.

"No, no! Leave me alone!" Rey cried in protest as he roughly jerked her into the air telekinetically.

Rey was powerless to stop soaring towards the open hatch of the belly of Snoke's ship. She crumbled in a sobbing heap on the frigid metal floor inside. Snoke was assisted up the ramp into his ship because of his facial injury. Rey barely scrambled away from being trampled by all their feet. Ben was the last to ascend the ramp and he sat in the back of the ship. Rey was treated as worthy of less notice than a nail in a wall. She flinched as more explosions rocked the ship violently.

The ship began to depart from the ground, charging to lightspeed. Rey was knocked back as the ship jolted forward to lightspeed but it suddenly stopped. She turned to the window she had fallen against and saw Luke Skywalker below with his both his hands stopping the ship in its tracks. She felt chills of hope run all over her body. But, Luke was not the jedi he used to be and the engine was too strong for him.

One moment, she was meeting the old and legendary Jedi's eyes. The next, she was dazed by the bright light of the ship traveling at light speed through space. Shields closed over the window, blocking out the blinding light. Rey slumped to the floor, hyperventilating with fear. She gazed desperately at Ben's blank face. Her attention was only drawn away by the pilot's voice.

"There is damage, Master Snoke." She told him. "We must stop to make repairs and refuel."

Snoke growled, "Very well, Captain Phasma. Jakku is the closest planet with life."

"If one can planet a desert planet of thieves, outlaws, and scavengers 'life'." Muttered Captain Phasma. Snoke sneered with his broken jaw and Phasma continued, "Regardless, they have what we need. Either they give it to us or we'll take it by force."

She indicated Ben. Bruised, cut, and shaken, Rey clambered into the seat beside Ben Solo and buckled her seatbelt. She noticed that he was not wearing his so she strapped him in, too. He continued to stare forward, his blinking eyes the only movement he made. His breathing was too mechanical to be natural, only out of necessity.

He did not react to the jostling of the ship nor to Rey strapping him in for safety. Just as Rey was about to retry breaking his hypnosis, the ship arrived at the planet Jakku and the window shields opened again. It was just as Phasma described. Though bathed in night, Rey could make out the mountainous sand dunes. The ship passed over a graveyard of crashed ships, some as large as her entire city home.

Rey thought they would salvage parts from the ships to repair theirs. But Snoke's ship stopped at an ordinary outpost instead. A Crelute exited the outpost at their arrival and Snoke, along with Captain Phasma and the rest of his body guards, exited the ship. Rey hurriedly unbuckled her seatbelt but the door closed before she could escape. She cried out and banged on the metal door, her desperation echoing throughout the ship.

She froze as she realized she was finally alone with Ben. She returned to him.

"Ben, please, wake-up! You're my only hope." Rey whispered urgently, shaking him.

She heard a loud commotion outside and saw that Snoke and his team were stealing from the Crelute alien. Snoke was going to return any moment.

"Wake-up! Wake-up, _please_!" Her voice cracked as she pleaded, "Ben?"

She watched as his pupils suddenly contracted and his lips parted, letting out a shuddering breath. Rey gasped in relief. He made to stand up but had to unbuckle the belt she had strapped him into. He thrusted his hand towards the nearest window and it shattered without him making physical contact with it. He gazed out the window and saw that it was too high to jump out with a child.

He levitated Rey off the ground and she floated through the broken window, taking care not to cut her on the jagged edges. No one could see her leaving the ship in the cover of night. But Rey could see them in the firelight from the torches around the outpost. About ten feet above the golden sand, Rey saw that Snoke was returning to the ship with his faithful followers. Ben's eyes grew blank and Rey dropped the rest of the way, her head impacting hard against the sand. Her vision clouded with popping black spots, she hastily hid behind the outpost.

She peaked around a corner and watched the window shields close with Ben still inside the ship. Though her head throbbed with pain, she knew why he had dropped her. He was back under Snoke's control.

She shook her head, whispering sadly, "No!"

Snoke rocketed away from Jakku as Rey slumped to her knees, dropping to her back. Her head swam and her eyes rolled lazily as she fell unconscious. The sand suddenly began to undulate, and four tall horns protruded as the monolithic creature snaked beneath the dunes towards Rey. The horns sank beneath the sand as it neared Rey and the abandoned girl was swallowed by the sand.

8


End file.
